Softball

Eleven Named To NFCA All-Region Team

Official NFCA Release

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--Eleven individuals from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) have been named to the 2026 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) NCAA Division III All-Region VIII Team.
 
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Hailey Hagedorn and Paige Lathrop, along with UW-Oshkosh’s Kiran Sanford, UW-Platteville’s Melissa Dietz and UW-Whitewater’s Josie Hammen received first team honors, while UW-Platteville’s Allison Peters and Hailee Thompson claimed second team recognition and UW-Eau Claire’s Claire Beck, UW-La Crosse’s Lindsay Steien, UW-Stevens Point’s Morgan Harwood and UW-Whitewater’s Bella Eggert secure third team accolades. Below is a brief write-up on the first team selections.
 
Hagedorn ranks fifth in the conference with a .417 batting average, and 10th with a .583 slugging percentage and a 1.033 OPS. She had a season-high three hits against Augsburg University (Minn.) on March 7 and against Baldwin Wallace University (Ohio) on March 13.
 
Lathrop collected her second all-region award after landing on the second team a year ago. She leads the WIAC with 53 runs scored, 64 hits and 24 stolen bases, while ranking second with a .478 batting average and .553 on-base percentage, third with 24 walks and fourth with a 1.098 OPS. Lathrop had multiple hits in 19 games, including three contests with four hits.
 
Sanford entered NCAA Division III Championship play with a 16-2 record and one save across 23 appearances and 19 starts. She went the distance in 10 of her starts and shutout six opponents. Across 118 innings, she allowed 85 hits and walked 22 against 147 strikeouts, giving up 26 runs (22 earned) for a 1.31 earned run average. Sanford notched conference shutouts against UW-Eau Claire on April 11, UW-La Crosse on April 17 and UW-River Falls on April 26. She has not allowed more than three runs during any of her 26 total appearances this year. Sanford was tabbed the WIAC Pitcher of the Year and Newcomer of the Year this season.
 
Dietz claimed first team honors for the third time in her career (2023, 2025). She led the WIAC with a .532 batting average, .910 slugging percentage, .603 on-base percentage, 1.513 OPS and nine home runs, while ranking second with 59 hits, third with 39 RBI, and tied for fourth with 13 doubles. Her .532 batting average (59-for-111) is the top mark in a single season in conference archives. Dietz was voted the WIAC Position Player of the Year this season for the third time in her career (2023, 2025).
 
Hammen was an all-region second team pick a year ago. This year, she compiled a record of 13-4 with an 1.73 earned run average. Hammen led the WIAC with 10 complete games, and added three saves. She tallied 101 strikeouts in 113.0 innings of work, while holding opposing batters to a .234 batting average. 
 
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